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What are the hot toys for summer?

Industry insiders expect toys that spark a rush to the outdoors to be hot this summer.

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Toy expert Ryan Carr shares his picks for most interesting toys to play with this summer. From the Screamin' Sky Weasel to the Anteater Bug Vac, he takes us on a tour of new games and product.(David Cooper/Toronto Star)

Get outside. Get active. Don’t let the promise of summertime go unfulfilled.

That’s the driving notion behind what industry insiders expect to be the hottest toys of the upcoming season. Parents will love seeing energetic offspring playing in the sun; kids will simply enjoy having fun.

It’s the archetypal formula for a must-have summer toy, said Ryan Carr, head of marketing for Ontario retailer, Mastermind Toys.

“It’s a spark to get them outside,” he said “It’s appealing to those sort of classic types of fun that get kids going.”

Echoing that was Liliane Benoît, executive director of the Canadian Toy Testing Council. “Once the spring and summer hits, kids are outdoors naturally, and that’s where they want to be, so parents look for the toys that cater to the outdoors,” she said, mentioning the Grasshopper Convertible Sled/Wagon by Mountain Boy Sledworks, which received top marks in the organization’s 2013 toy report, as one of her personal favourites.

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“Who doesn’t like to have a wagon ride every now and then?”

Jean Laplaine, manager at the independently owned Toytown on Avenue Rd., said many of the most popular items at his store aren’t particularly new, like Slip ’n Slides and horseshoes. “All the classic things that parents used to have fun with. . . . They probably never go out of style,” he said.

But there are also new arrivals for summer that have already proven popular, with new twists on established toys, Laplaine said.

“The variations on classic toy play are getting more and more unique,” added Carr, who pointed to the Kickboard Maxi as a big draw this summer. The Swiss-designed scooter has three wheels and a “T-bar” handle, with an innovative “lean turn” steering system that promises better control and stability, said Carr. “These are like the scooter that kids talk about.”

Last week the Canadian Toy Association also featured more than 110 items to help keep idle kids busy during the upcoming season at their Hot Toys of Summer Event. Association chair Kerry George said about half of the toys on display at the annual event retail for under $25.

From bubbles with colourful solutions and glittery sidewalk chalk to bowling sets, and the PVC-free Green Toys Tractor, parents may experience a little deja vu seeing some of the updates on games and activities that likely kept them entertained as kids.

“If you think about 20 years ago ... you think about boys, and they love to play with their diggers and sandboxes. That’s still the case today,” George told the Canadian Press.

George noted reptiles are among the favourites for the season, including models of TV’s “Dino Dan.” And fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will see the crime-fighting reptiles as action figures, squishy collectible Mash'Ems and emblazoned on splat-catch paddles with accompanying villain splat balls.

These glowing balloons screech through the air and twirl around like Roman Candles for kids — no firepower, but noisy and cool all the same, according to Mastermind’s Carr. Perfect for the golden peaceful hue of summer twilight, he said.

The latest remote control plane from Spin Master in Toronto, the Sky Stunt allows kids to perform sharp acrobatics like barrel rolls and loops, and even pull out of stalls, said brand manager Jake Cassaday. “We really rally behind the idea that it’s fun to get outside and go to the park, and it’s also fun to incorporate the social aspect of it,” said Cassaday, who suggested heading out in teams to marvel at the aerial agility of the new flyer.

Another toy designed to fit in with the age-old way that kids play when it’s warm out, the Anteater Bug Vac is pretty self-explanatory. It’s a battery-powered vacuum that sucks up bugs into a plastic viewing chamber, so kids don’t have to touch the gross bugs that grab their attention.

Billed as a toy for rainy days, the Spirograph is a 1960s revival that Carr said has been selling like mad. Essentially, it’s a stencil kit that helps kids create a myriad of intricate shapes and patterns to enhance a doodling session.

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